Late actor Soundarya was one of the rare stars to have had the opportunity to star in two films with Rajinikanth, especially in back-to-back with Arunachalam (1997) and Padayappa (1999). With the KS Ravikumar-directorial back in theatres for Rajinikanth's 75th birthday, clips of the late actor reflecting on her working experience with the star have been flooding the internet. "I didn't know how to react," the actor says, while reminiscing the moment she received the offer to act with Rajinikanth after Arunachalam.
"After Arunachalam, I had no expectations. I thought one film with Rajinikanth was good by itself. When this offer for Padayappa came, I didn't know how to react. He is a very down-to-earth person. I had absolutely no hassles working with him. He is very comfortable to act with," she said in an earlier interview. Soundarya played the female lead in both Arunachalam and Padayappa.
After 26 years, the iconic 1999 action drama is enjoying a dream run once again as it hit theatres upon its release on December 12. The KS Ravikumar-directed film has reportedly minted over Rs 12 crore globally during the opening weekend at the box office.
Padayappa also starred Sivaji Ganesan, Radha Ravi, Nassar, Manivannan, and Abbas. Produced by Rajinikanth's Arunachala Cine Creations, the film still remains a favourite among Tamil fans for its strong storyline and screenplay, and also for AR Rahman's soundtrack and songs. A sequel on the film is also in the works.
Soundarya was active in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada industry in the '90s and early 2000s. She made her debut in Bollywood in 1999 and also forayed into film production later. Her final film appearances were in the Telugu action drama Siva Shankar, where she starred alongside Mohan Babu, and the Kannada psychological horror Apthamitra. Both of them were released posthumously. At the peak of her career, in 2004, she and her brother Amarnath, along with two others, were killed when their aircraft, en route to a BJP campaign event in Karimnagar, crashed and exploded in flames within three minutes of takeoff.